OpenAI previews new AI speech technology amid growing concerns about deepfakes

ChatGPT maker OpenAI on Friday released a preview of a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool that can generate “natural-sounding speech” and mimic human voices.

The tool, called Voice Engine, only needs “a single 15-second audio sample to generate natural-sounding speech that closely resembles the original speaker,” OpenAI said in a blog post.

The AI ​​startup stressed that Voice Engine can provide reading assistance, translate content, and give a voice to people who cannot speak or have a speech impediment. However, OpenAI acknowledged that the tool “could pose serious risks that are especially important in an election year.”

The company first developed Voice Engine in late 2022 and began testing it privately with a “small group of trusted partners” late last year.

OpenAI stressed that these partners have agreed to the usage guidelines, which require explicit and informed consent from the original speaker and prohibit impersonation of others without their consent.

Partners must also disclose that the voices are generated using artificial intelligence and that all audio data generated by Voice Engine is watermarked to make it easier to trace its origin, the company said.

OpenAI believes that large-scale deployment of such tools should include voice authentication to “verify that the original speaker is deliberately adding their voice to the service,” as well as a “no-go voice list” to prevent the creation of voices that resemble those of prominent figures.

The company also recommended that institutions phase out the use of voice-based authentication to access bank accounts and other confidential information.

And it still seemed a bit uncertain whether the tool would ultimately be released on a larger scale.

“We hope to start a dialogue about the responsible use of synthetic voices and how society can adapt to these new possibilities,” OpenAI said in the blog post. “Based on these conversations and the results of these small-scale tests, we will make a more informed decision about whether and how to deploy this technology at scale.”

The new voice technology comes amid growing concerns about the potential of AI-generated deepfakes to spread election-related misinformation.

Earlier this year, ahead of the January primary, a message was sent to New Hampshire voters imitating President Biden’s style and urging them not to go to the polls.

Steve Kramer, a veteran Democratic activist, later admitted to making the fake robocalls and said he did so to raise awareness about the dangers of artificial intelligence in politics.

A local Arizona newsletter published a similar deepfake video of Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake last month, created using artificial intelligence, to warn readers about “how good this technology is getting.”

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